Dog makes poor choices, tries to jump over fence; firefighters called to rescue him

Firefighters in Gaston County rescued a 90-pound yellow lab from an awful predicament Saturday. Crews from New Hope Fire Department were called to a home after owners found their dog, Wilbur, had tried to jump over an iron fence with pointed ends, and had become impaled on one of the posts.

“It wasn’t bleeding, it wasn’t gory and he was very calm,” said owner Mary Anne Dixon Hubbard.

Hubbard’s son helped secure Wilbur’s body while the family waited for fire crews to arrive.

Once on the scene, firefighters used a tool similar to the jaws of life to cut sections of the fence free. The Assistant Chief of New Hope Fire Department said crews were careful not to disturb the piece of fence that had gone through the dogs hind quarters.

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“With the training we have, if you’re impaled by something we don’t remove it, we package you up and send you off for treatment,” Assistant Chief David Brumbaugh said.

Everybody there on Saturday said Wilbur was totally calm while his rescue went on.

After describing how the fence post missed most of the vital organs in Wilbur’s body, veterinarian Dr. Laura Dvorak summed up his prognosis with one word: lucky.

“He needed to buy Saturday night’s lottery ticket,” Dr. Dvorak said.

Wilbur is at Charlotte Animal Referral and Emergency Hospital, likely until the end of the week while his wound heals.

Once home, Brumbaugh said he hopes to make a visit and meet Wilbur under better circumstances.

“That definitely might be one I intend to go see,” Brumbaugh said.

Meanwhile, Wilbur’s family said they’re hoping to warn others about the possible dangers of iron fences with sharp points. The Hubbard’s have purchased a rubber strip to go along the top portion of the fence to cover the spikes.